最新杏吧原创

As fans of midcentury modern architecture, Brenna and John Hansen had long admired a 1967-built A-frame church near Lindbergh High School, with its clean lines and geometric stained-glass windows. Living nearby in Crestwood, they often passed by the church when taking Brenna鈥檚 daughter, Ava, to activities.

One day in 2017, Brenna noticed a 鈥淔or Sale鈥� sign in the yard, and it sparked a dream the couple had for some time.

鈥淲e loved the idea of having a project house we could both work on from the ground up,鈥� Brenna says.

The Hansens were leaving for a vacation when the church first went on the market. With the asking price in mind, John says, 鈥淲e spent our whole vacation looking at photos that were online, trying to figure out the floorplan and what we could do 鈥� how to arrange things. I think we had it all planned out before the end of the trip.鈥�

Once back in 最新杏吧原创, they visited the church with a contractor. After understanding the level of work that would be needed and the associated costs, however, the Hansens were scared away from the project as it just didn鈥檛 make sense for them at that time.

Still, the idea never quite left their minds. 鈥淲e loved that specific property,鈥� says Brenna. So, they kept in touch, tracking the church as it went through rentals and came back on the market twice, having conversations every six months or so with its pastor.

Finally, one night in late 2019, John received a text from the pastor. They had exhausted their options, and he asked the Hansens to give him their best offer. They were able to reach a deal and closed on the property in early 2020. That鈥檚 when the real planning began.

As soon as the church鈥檚 congregation moved out, the Hansens sold their house and moved in primitively, sleeping in a makeshift 鈥渂edroom鈥� in its former offices. Through a friend鈥檚 recommendation, they engaged local architect and Crestwood Alderman Jim Zavist, who had experience with midcentury modern architecture.

Their wish list for the space, John says, included 鈥渁ll the things coming from a small, midcentury ranch that you don鈥檛 have鈥� 鈥� a bathroom in every bedroom, a pantry, a guest powder room, home office space and storage. When plans were in place, they engaged MMCT Contracting to begin the work in early 2021. At that point, they were in the way by staying in the church, so they moved in with Brenna鈥檚 dad as the gut remodel began.

While the church鈥檚 interior had to be completely reimagined to create a home, it was important to the Hansens to preserve and restore certain aspects of its original architecture. The biggest of those was the full wall of leaded and stained-glass windows. At some point, in an attempt to lessen the intensity of the light coming in, the church had added a layer of yellow tinted glass over the original windows, making them appear dull.

After realizing what had been done, John started popping off the yellow panes, revealing the striking clear, red, blue and green panes below. 鈥淚t was the best surprise,鈥� Brenna remembers.

Rows of small, rectangular windows running the length of either side of the church鈥檚 sanctuary had also been boarded over. Once uncovered, light spilled into the open space. The A-frame鈥檚 original tongue-and-groove wood ceiling, framed in large Douglas fir beams remained intact and informed the rest of the design and d茅cor.

鈥淭he way it鈥檚 constructed is interesting in that it is basically a pole barn, so there are no floor joists where you generally hide electric and those types of things. That鈥檚 why we have exposed conduit,鈥� says John.

The Hansens transformed the sanctuary into a spacious main living area including a combined living/dining room and an open kitchen with an enormous center island. They erected a half-wall on the former stage and tucked home office cubicles behind it 鈥� creating a cozy, hidden work-from-home space.

Where the church offices used to be, they created two main floor bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, a powder room and a large butler鈥檚 pantry. Off to the side of the kitchen, John hand-built a bar with lighted shelving to house his growing collection of bourbons. Brenna, a graphic designer and illustrator, designed a colorful mural for the space, which the couple painted together.

A new primary suite and adjoining open sitting area occupies the second story loft 鈥� originally a cry room and Sunday school classroom. One of the Hansens鈥� must-haves was a new open iron staircase leading to the loft that takes center stage in the home.

John, a skilled carpenter, did much of the finishing work and built a lot of the furniture including the dining table, coffee table, bar and shelving.

The renovation was completed in early 2022. Brenna notes that it was hard to envision all of the individual elements coming together as it was happening, but the completed home is just what they imagined. After adding a garage/workshop and patio on the property, the Hansens are now looking to expand the outdoor living area in the near future with a sun room and private courtyard.